Neural Colony Forming Assay

ABSTRACT

A neural colony forming cell (NCFC) assay is described. The assay allows one to distinguish neural stem cells from neural progenitor cells. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for identifying neural stem cells or neural progenitor cells comprising: (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which supports the growth of neural cells; (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that allows for the production of colonies; (c) culturing the plated cells until size differences can be discerned between the colonies; and (d) estimating colony size wherein the larger colonies are likely produced by neural stem cells and wherein the small colonies are likely produced by neural progenitor cells In alternate embodiments, NSC can be distinguished from neural progenitor cells by determining the morphology or antigen expression of the colonies.

This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) from U.S.provisional patent applications Ser. No. 60/502,256 filed Sep. 12, 2003;Ser. No. 60/509,257 filed Oct. 8, 2003; Ser. No. 60/545,281 filed Feb.18, 2004; Ser. No. 60/558,985 filed Apr. 5, 2004, and Ser. No.60/577,599 filed Jun. 8, 2004, all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC)assay for the isolation, identification and discrimination of neuralstem cells and neural progenitor cells.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The development of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) begins inthe early stage of fetal development and continues until the post-natalperiod. In the adult CNS there are primarily three cells: neurons,astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The first stage of neural developmentin the embryo is cell genesis, a period of precise temporal and spatialsequence in which proliferation by stem and progenitor cells give riseto the precursors that will differentiate into mature CNS cells. Thesecond step is a period of cell differentiation and migration whereneuroblasts (cells that will give rise to neurons) and glialblasts(cells that will give rise to astrocytes and oligodendrocytes)differentiate and migrate to their final positions. The third stage ofdevelopment occurs when cells acquire specific mature phenotypicqualities such as neurons expressing particular neurotransmitters. Thefinal stage of CNS development is a period of selective cell death,wherein the death and degeneration of specific cells, fibers andconnections “fine-tune” the circuitry of the nervous system.

Unlike many other tissues of the body the mammalian CNS hastraditionally exhibited little capacity to generate new cells inresponse to injury or disease. However, the relatively recent discoveryof cells within the adult CNS that exhibit stem cell characteristics invitro (Reynolds and Weiss, 1992) together with the re-examination(Altman, 1962; Altman and Das, 1965) of small proliferative zones in theadult brain (Alvarez-Buylla et. al., 2001) have led to the belief thatthe adult mammalian CNS retains the ability to generate new cells andthat neural stem cells are the source of the proliferating precursors.

Within the CNS, neural stem cells (NSC) can be differentiated fromprogenitor cells primarily on their proliferative and differentiationpotential. Based on the Potten and Loeffler (Potten and Loeffler, 1990)definition, NSC can be differentiated from progenitor cells by theirability to exhibit self-maintenance, produce a large number of progenyand to produce mature cells of all three primary cells types in neuraltissue.

The critical identifying feature of a stem cell is its ability toexhibit self-renewal or to generate more of itself. In its simplestdefinition a stem cell would be a cell with the capacity forself-maintenance. However, this definition can be problematic as a largenumber of cells may be considered to fulfill this criteria. A morestringent and practical definition of a stem cell, is provided by Pottenand Loeffler (1990) who have defined stem cells as “undifferentiatedcells capable of a) proliferation, b) self-maintenance, c) theproduction of a large number of differentiated functional progeny, d)regenerating the tissue after injury, and e) a flexibility in the use ofthese options.”

Culture systems have proven to be invaluable tools in studying andunderstanding the cellular and molecular properties of biologicalprocesses and systems. With respect to neural stem cells, a tissueculture method has been developed that allows the isolation,proliferation and expansion of neural stem cells and the subsequentdifferentiation of their progeny into the three primary cells types ofthe CNS (Reynolds and Weiss, 1996). Reynolds and Weiss identified aneural stem cell based on functional criteria. These criteria includethe ability to 1) proliferate and generate a large number of progeny, 2)self-renew over an extended period of time in long-term cultures, and 3)continue to give rise to the primary cell types of the tissue from whichthey are obtained. Referred to as the Neurosphere Assay (NA) it hasprovided a wealth of data on the existence of neural stem cells and ontheir potential for therapeutic use.

Briefly, the NA involves the microdissection of embryonic through toadult CNS tissue followed by the disruption of cell to cell contacts andthe generation of a suspension of single cells. Cells are plated(typically at a low density) in tissue cultureware in a definedserum-free medium in the presence of at least one proliferation-inducinggrowth factor (ie. Epidermal Growth Factor [EFG], basic FibroblasticGrowth Factor [bFGF] etc.). Under these conditions within 2-5 days amultipotent NSC begins to divide giving rise to a clonally derivedcluster of undifferentiated cells referred to as a neurosphere (FIG. 1).In the continued presence of the proliferation inducing factor the cellsin the neurosphere continues to divide resulting in an increase in thenumber of cells comprising the neurosphere and consequently the size ofthe neurosphere. Neurospheres can be collected, disrupted in to a singlecell suspension, and the cells replated in culture to generate newneurospheres. Passaging of NSC in this manner results in an arithmeticincrease in viable CNS precursor cells (FIG. 3).

The NA has become the standard assay for the isolation of mammalian NSCand forms the core of many assays used to understand the cellular andmolecular biology of stem cells in the nervous system. For instance, ithas been used to screen exogenous signaling factors for their effects onstem cell function (Shimazaki, et. al., 2001) and to help understand thein vivo biology of neural stem cells (Morshead, et. al., 1994;Alvarez-Buylla et. al., 2001). While this assay has proven valuable inadvancing the field it suffers from a significant limitation.

As a population, neurospheres can be passaged at least 10 timesresulting in the generation of a large number of progeny that can besubsequently differentiated into the three primary cell types found inthe mammalian CNS—neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes—therebysatisfying the primary requirements of a stem cell (Reynolds and Weiss,1996). In addition, individual clonally derived spheres can bedissociated into single cells and in the presence of a mitogenic factor,new spheres are generated (self-maintenance) and the progeny can bedifferentiated into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. It iscurrently assumed that every sphere generated in the NA is derived froma NSC. The inventors have unexpected results indicating that this is nottrue and that the proliferative potential of the neurospheres generatedin a NA vary. Hence, while the NA identifies NSC not all neurospheresgenerated in this assay are derived from a NSC. Some (and maybe themajority) of the neurospheres may be neural progenitor cells with a morelimited proliferative potential and possibly a different differentiationpotential as well. The number of NSC determined by a NA is anoverestimation and subsequent interpretations based on the results arelikely to be incorrect. For instance, FIGS. 2A and 2B are representativeof a population of neurospheres generated in the NA. As a hypotheticalexample lets say the difference between FIGS. 2A and 2B is the additionof a polypeptide growth factor called GF-X in 2B. In this case it wouldappear that the addition of GF-X resulted in an approximate 34%reduction in the number of neurospheres. This would be interpreted as anegative regulatory effect of GF-X on the proliferation or survival ofNSC in this particular experiment. This interpretation would be correctif all neurospheres generated in the NA were derived from stem cells,however, if they are not the conclusion is invalid. An example of suchan experiment can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,832 Example 43. Inboth of these cases change in the number of neurospheres is assumed toreflect an effect on NSC, however, unless all neurospheres generated inthe NA are shown to be derived from stem cells this assumption isunfounded. Hence, a significant deficiency exists in the currently usedmethod to study NSC.

Therefore, in view of the aforementioned deficiency attendant with priorart methods of studying NSC in vitro, a need exists in the art for an invitro assay that can differentiate between NSC and neural progenitorcells.

A need also exists for an assay that can differentiate between differentNSC based on their proliferative potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an assay that can be used to identify,discriminate, isolate, and quantify types of neural stem and progenitorcells.

This invention relates to a method for the in vitro culture andproliferation of neural stem cells and neural progenitor cells in athree dimensional semi-solid medium (e.g. see the method shown in FIG.12). In one aspect, this invention relates to a method to identifyneural stem cells and to be able to differentiate them from progenitorcells. In another aspect, this invention relates to a method ofidentifying neural stem cells with varying degrees of proliferativepotential and to be able to discriminate between neural stem cells witha high proliferative potential and those with a lower or lesserproliferative potential. In another aspect this invention relates to amethod to discriminate between types of NSC and types of neuralprogenitor cells based on colony size, morphology and antigenexpression.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for identifyingneural stem cells or neural progenitor cells comprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until size differences can be        discerned between the colonies; and    -   (d) estimating colony size wherein the larger colonies are        likely produced by neural stem cells and wherein the smaller        colonies are likely produced by neural progenitor cells.

As an alternate embodiment, the criteria for the identification anddiscrimination of types of NSC from types of neural progenitor cells canbe based on the morphologies of colonies produced by the cells withinthe initial colonies.

Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method foridentifying neural stem cells or neural progenitor cells comprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until colonies are formed; and    -   (d) determining the morphology of the colonies wherein the        presence of undulated colonies indicates that the colonies are        likely produced by neural stem cells and wherein the presence of        colonies with a smooth periphery indicates that the colonies are        likely produced by neural progenitor cells.

In another embodiment of the invention, the presence of neural stemcells or neural progenitor cells can be determined by detecting thepresence of a marker associated with undifferentiated or differentiatedcells on the colonies. Accordingly, the present invention also providesa method for identifying neural stem cells or neural progenitor cellscomprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until colonies are formed; and    -   (d) determining the antigen expression of the colonies wherein        the presence of markers associated with undifferentiated cells        indicates that the colonies are likely produced by neural stem        cells and wherein the presence of markers associated with        differentiated cells indicates that the colonies are likely        produced by neural progenitor cells.

Examples of antigen expression which relate to undifferentiated cellsand neural lineages include nestin, sox2, Musashi, ABCG2, LeX, PNA, CD24and other markers. Examples of antigen expression which relate todifferentiated cells of the CNS include Beta-Tubulin, GFAP, O4, MAP2 andMBP and others.

This invention provides an in vitro method for the isolation,proliferation and expansion of neural stem cells or neural progenitorcells and their progeny in a semi-solid 3-D matrix. The invention alsoprovides a method to allow for the discrimination of NSC with HighProliferative Potential (HPP) from NSC with low proliferative potentialand to distinguish between stem cells and types of neural progenitorcells.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and the specificexamples while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention will now be described in relation to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1: First and Second Passage Neurosphere. Embryonic day 14 cortexwas dissociated into a single cell suspension and plated in a definedserum-free medium containing EGF at a density of 500,000 cells per ml.Three days after plating small clusters of cells attached to thesubstrate can be identified (A). Four days later clonally derivedneurospheres are seen floating in suspension (B). Neurospheres werecollected, mechanically dissociated into a single cell suspension andreplated. A second passage 7 day old neurosphere (C).

FIG. 2: Neurospheres Generated by mouse embryonic day 14 cortex in theNeurosphere Assay. Microphotographs of 7 day old neurospheres generatedin the presence of EGF. FIG. 2A is a microphotograph of a culture whichgenerated 35 neurospheres in a 200 microliter well while in anotherculture only 23 neurospheres were generated (FIG. 2B).

FIG. 3: Growth Curve of Passaged Rat E18 cortical NSC. Theoreticalnumber of total viable cells generated after 10 passages. Data representthe potential total number of cells generated, based on aliquots countedat each passage, following 10 successive passages. Starting with 1×10⁶cells and had all the cells been saved at each passage, by passage 10,4.03×10¹⁵ cells would have been generated. This represents a 10⁹-foldincrease over 10 weeks.

FIG. 4: Comparison of growth of colonies versus neurospheres generatedfrom mouse embryonic day 14 striatal cells cultured in semi-solidcollagen based medium (NCFC Assay) or liquid suspension cultures(Neurosphere Assay) respectively.

(A) At 2 days in vitro (DIV) a number of small spheres, which areattached to the substrate, are beginning to form in the NeurosphereAssay. Inset upper left hand corner is a higher magnification of a 2 DIVneurosphere.(B) By 4 DIV the clonal clusters have grown in size, most have detachedfrom the substrate and are floating in suspension. A highermagnification of a 4 DIV neurosphere is shown in the inset upper lefthand corner.(C) By 5-7 DIV most of the neurospheres are floating in suspension. Atthis stage they are ready to be passaged.(D) A dividing cell at 1 DIV in the NCFC Assay.(E) By 7 DIV colonies in the NCFC Assay are well defined and can rangefrom 40 μm to 500 μm in diameter(F) By 14 DIV many of the colonies in the NCFC Assay remain relativelysmall, while others continue to grow in size.

FIG. 5: The number of colonies/spheres generated by mouse embryonic day14 striatal cells in the NCFC Assay and the Neurosphere Assay aresimilar. In the Neurosphere Assay 2.4±0.9% (mean±SE; number ofspheres/total cells plated) of the cells formed neurospheres, while2.8±1.2% (mean±SE) of plated cells formed colonies in the NCFC Assay.

FIG. 6: Seven and 14 day old colonies generated by mouse day 14embryonic striatal cells grown in NCFC Assay. Microphotographs ofcolonies seven (A) and 14 (B) days after plating. At 14 days 3 differentcolony sizes can be identified (arrows).

FIG. 7: Comparison of colony sizes generated by mouse day 14 embryonicstriatal cells in the NCFC Assay. Based on diameter of individualcolonies a wide range of colony size was observed in this assay. Fordescriptive purposes the inventors created four groupings:

-   -   (A) greater than 2 mm    -   (B) 1-2 mm    -   (C) 0.5-1 mm and    -   (D) less than 0.5 mm.

FIG. 8: The relative frequency of colonies within each of the four sizecategories generated by mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells in theNCFC Assay:

-   -   (A) 2500 cells were plated in NCFC Assay medium as described        below. Twenty-one days later the number of colonies in four        different size groupings were counted.    -   (B) When the data in FIG. 6A is expressed as a percentage of the        size of colonies over total number of colonies greater than 70%        of the colonies were less than 0.5 mm in diameter while large,        highly proliferative colonies accounted for approximately 2% of        the total.    -   (C) The frequency (%) of colonies (subdivided by colony size as        in FIG. 7) relative to total number of cells reveals that less        than 3% of the total cells plated proliferated and formed        colonies. Of this 3%, the majority (2.23%) produced small        colonies (<0.5 mm in diameter) suggesting a more limited        proliferative potential. These colonies remained small. A very        small fraction (0.06%) of the total cells plated were highly        proliferative and formed large (>2 mm) colonies.

FIG. 9: Identification and excising of colonies generated by mouse day14 embryonic striatal cells in the NCFC Assay and subsequent passage ofthe cells dissociated from the colony in liquid medium.

-   -   (A) Colonies of interest were identified under a dissecting        microscope and under sterile conditions the colony were cut from        the semi solid matrix with a pair of microdissecting scissors.    -   (B) The excised colony was transferred to a collagenase solution        and incubated at 37° C. for 30 mins.    -   (C) The colony was disrupted with a 200 ul Gilson pipette tip        breaking up the matrix and creating a single cell suspension.    -   (D) Cells were plated in a single well of a 24 well plate in a        defined serum free medium containing EGF.    -   (E) Seven to 10 days later neurospheres were generated.

FIG. 10: The generation of secondary and tertiary spheres from a HighProliferative Potential (HPP) colony generated by mouse day 14 embryonicstriatal cells:

-   -   (A) A HPP colony (2.1 mm diameter) prior to being excised.    -   (B) Dissociated cells from (A) have formed a large number of        neurospheres (secondary colonies) at 7 DIV.    -   (C) A higher magnification of a region in (B).    -   (D) Neurospheres from (B) were passaged in liquid culture        generating tertiary neurospheres at 7 DIV.    -   (E) Higher magnification of a region in (D).

FIG. 11: Percentage of colonies generated by cultured mouse day 14embryonic striatal cells that generated secondary and tertiaryneurospheres. 100% of colonies greater than 2 mm in diameter generatedsecondary colonies, with colonies between 1-2, 0.5-1 and those less than0.5 mm produced secondary spheres 71, 43 and 25 percent of the time,respectively. Tertiary colony formation was seen only in those greaterthan 2 mm and 1-2 mm in diameter (100% and 50% of the time,respectively). No tertiary sphere formation was seen in colonies lessthan 1 mm in diameter.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the method of theinvention.

FIG. 13: Different colony morphologies observed for colonies >2 mm indiameter generated by mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells. A varietyof colony morphologies is observed among colonies categorized as >2 mmin diameter.

FIG. 14: Different colony morphologies observed for colonies 1-2 mm indiameter generated by mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells. A varietyof colony morphologies is observed among colonies categorized as 1-2 mmin diameter.

FIG. 15: Different colony morphologies observed for colonies 0.5-1 mm indiameter generated by mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells. A varietyof colony morphologies is observed among colonies categorized as 0.5-1mm in diameter.

FIG. 16: Different colony morphologies observed for colonies <0.5 mm indiameter generated by mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells. A varietyof colony morphologies is observed among colonies categorized as <0.5 mmin diameter.

FIG. 17: Percentage of colonies generated by primary mouse day 14embryonic striatal cells that generated secondary and tertiaryneurospheres. 100% of colonies greater than 2 mm in diameter generatedsecondary colonies, with colonies between 1-2, 0.5-1 and those less than0.5 mm produced secondary spheres 50, 36 and 17 percent of the time,respectively. Tertiary colony formation was seen only in those greaterthan 2 mm and 1-2 mm in diameter (100% and 8.3% of the time,respectively). No tertiary sphere formation was seen in colonies lessthan 1 mm in diameter.

FIG. 18: Immunostaining of mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells fromsecondary spheres generated from colonies >2 mm in diameter. Figurelegend: Staining of neurons stained with Beta-Tubulin antibody are shownin red (A), staining of astrocytes stained with glial fibrillary acidicprotein (GFAP) antibody are shown in green (B) and staining ofoligodendrocytes stained with O4 antibody are shown in blue (C).

FIG. 19: In situ immunostaining of colonies generated by mouse day 14embryonic striatal cells in the NCFC assay.

Staining of undifferentiated cells within a colony >2 mm in diameter(A), 1-2 mm in diameter (B), 0.5-1 mm in diameter (C) and <0.5 mm indiameter (D) generated by mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells andstained with nestin antibody are shown in red.

FIG. 20: The relative frequency of colonies generated by mouse day 14embryonic striatal cells within each of the four size categories in NCFCAssay:

-   -   (A) 7500 cells were plated in NCFC Assay medium as described in        Example 12 below. Twenty-one days later the colonies were        assigned to four size categories and number of colonies in four        different size groupings were counted (mean±SD).    -   (B) When the number of colonies in a given size category (FIG.        20A) is expressed as a percentage of the total number of        colonies 50% of the colonies were less than 0.5 mm in diameter        while colonies >2 mm in diameter accounted for approximately 16%        of the total colonies (mean±SD).    -   (C) The frequency (%) of colonies (in the given size categories)        per total number of cells reveals that less than 0.6% of the        total cells plated proliferated and formed colonies. Of this        0.6%, the majority (0.29%) produced small colonies (<0.5 mm in        diameter) suggesting a more limited proliferative potential.        These colonies remained small. A very small fraction (0.08%) of        the total cells plated were highly proliferative and formed        large (>2 mm) colonies (mean±SD).

FIG. 21: Mouse day 14 embryonic striatal cells which producedcolonies >2 mm were isolated from the NCFC assay, dissociated andcultured for 3 passages in liquid suspension cultures (NeurosphereAssay) to generate tertiary neurospheres. The tertiary neurospheres weredissociated into a single cell suspension, counted and 2500 cells wereplated in the NCFC assay for 21 days. FIG. 21 shows the frequency ofcolonies (in the given size categories) formed by 2500 cells obtainedfrom tertiary neurospheres generated from the cells in colonies >2 mm indiameter in the initial NCFC assay. Cells from colonies >2 mm indiameter were capable of generating colonies of the four categories whenre-plated in the NCFC assay. The frequency (%) of colonies (in thedesignated size categories) relative to total number of cells revealsthat 2.5% of the total cells plated (mean±SD) proliferated and formedcolonies. Of this 2.5%, the majority (1.8%) produced small colonies(<0.5 mm in diameter) suggesting a more limited proliferative potential.These colonies remained small. A very small fraction (0.02%) of thetotal cells plated were highly proliferative and formed large (>2 mm)colonies.

FIG. 22: Long term expansion in mouse embryonic day 14 striatal cells inliquid cultures (NA) initiated from cells within four colonies >2 mm indiameter (generated in the NCFC assay). Cells from four (described asLarge (L)1, L2, L3 and L4) individual colonies >2 mm in diameter werepassaged in long-term neurosphere (beyond passage 3) cultures showedhigh fold expansion by passage 6.

FIG. 23: NCFC colonies from embryonic day 18 (E18) rat cortical cells.Two colonies 1-2 mm in diameter (A, B) generated by E18 rat corticalcells in the NCFC assay.

FIG. 24: The relative frequency of colonies within each of the four sizecategories from embryonic day 18 (E18) rat cortical cells in NCFC Assay:

-   -   (A) 7500 cells were plated in NCFC Assay medium as described in        Example 16. Twenty-one days later the number of colonies in four        different size groupings were counted.    -   (B) When the data in FIG. 24A is expressed as a percentage of        colonies (in the given size categories) per total number of        colonies, greater than 77% of the colonies were less than 0.5 mm        in diameter while large, highly proliferative colonies accounted        for approximately 0.2% of the total.    -   (C) The frequency (%) of colonies (in the specified size        categories) per total number of cells.

FIG. 25: The different sized colonies generated by adult subventricularzone (SVZ) mouse cells in the NCFC Assay:

-   -   (A) greater than 2 mm    -   (B) 1-2 mm    -   (C) 0.5-1 mm and    -   (D) less than 0.5 mm.

FIG. 26: The different sized colonies generated by fetal human corticalcells in the NCFC Assay. The cells within the different coloniesgenerated are more dispersed compared to the colonies generated by adultand embryonic neural cells.

-   -   (A) greater than 2 mm    -   (B) 1-2 mm    -   (C) 0.5-1 mm and    -   (D) less than 0.5 mm.

FIG. 27: The frequency (per total cells plated) of colonies generated byprimary E14 mouse striatal cells in the NCFC assay supplemented withEGF, FGF or EGF plus FGF showing the colony size distribution.

FIG. 28: In situ immunostaining of colonies generated from primary E14mouse striatal cells in the NCFC assay. Staining of neuronal cells withan antibody against Beta—Tubulin shows B-Tubulin⁺ cells in red within acolony >2 mm in diameter (A, B, colony is outlined), colony 1-2 mm indiameter (C, D), 0.5-1 mm in diameter (D) and <0.5 mm in diameter (E).

FIG. 29: Use of semi-solid methylcellulose medium and cortical E14 mousecells in the NCFC assay. Cortical E14 mouse cells formed colonies(A—10×, B—10×, C—40× magnification of B) in the NCFC assay containingmethylcellulose.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods for inducing the proliferation ofNSC and progenitor cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ES), andembryonic, post-natal or adult CNS in a 3-D semi-solid medium. Theinvention allows for the distinction to be made between types of neuralstem cells (NSC) and types of progenitor cells and to distinguishbetween different NSC based on their proliferative potential. In anotheraspect the invention allows for the distinction to be made between typesof NSC and types of progenitor cells and to distinguish betweendifferent NSC and progenitor cells based on the morphology of thecolonies they produce.

Detailed definitions of undifferentiated cells of the CNS can be foundin U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,376. However, briefly, cells may be definedherein as:

Neural Progenitor Cell—undifferentiated cell that is not itself a stemcell. Neural progenitor cells have the capacity to proliferate and thecapability to differentiate into more than one cell type. Neuralprogenitor cells can therefore be unipotent, bipotent or multipotent. Adistinguishing feature of a neural progenitor cell is that, unlike astem cell, it has a limited proliferative ability and does not exhibitself-maintenance.

Neural Stem Cell—as used herein, refers to an oligopotent or multipotentcell which is able to divide without limit and can produce daughtercells which terminally differentiate into neurons, astrocytes andoligodendrocytes. Neural stem cells are capable of self-maintenance andof generating a large number of progeny. The non-stem cell progeny of aneural stem cell are referred to as neural progenitor cells.

Precursor Cell—as used herein, refers to the progeny of neural stemcells and hence include both neural progenitor cells and neural stemcells.

The inappropriate use of these terms to identify undifferentiated cellsin the CNS has led to confusion and misunderstanding in studying NSC andneural progenitor cells.

In one embodiment, the NSC can be distinguished from neural progenitorcells based on colony size. Accordingly, the present invention providesa method for identifying neural stem cells comprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural stem cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until size differences can be        discerned between the colonies; and    -   (d) estimating colony size wherein the larger colonies are        likely produced by neural stem cells.

The present invention also provides a method for identifying neuralprogenitor cells comprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural progenitor cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a cell density        that allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until size differences can be        discerned between the colonies; and    -   (d) estimating colony size wherein the smaller colonies are        likely produced by neural progenitor cells.

The neural cells can be from any suitable source. In a preferredembodiment, the neural cells are from primary CNS tissue or culturedneurospheres. The neural cells can be from any species of animal,preferably a mammal, more preferably a primate or rodent such as mice,rat or humans. The neural cells can be obtained from primary embryonic,post-natal or adult CNS tissue from any region of the neuroaxisincluding but not limited to the striatum, septum, cortex, ventralmesencephalon, septum, midbrain, cerebellum or spinal cord.

As an example, neural cells can be generated in the following manner.Striata or cortex are dissected from mouse embryos (e.g. day 14 embryos)using standard microdissection techniques. Tissue is collected inphosphate-buffered saline with 2% glucose then mechanically dissociatedusing a fire-polished glass pipette into a single cell suspension,washed once and filtered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer (Falcon)and diluted to a concentration of about 8.0×10⁴ cells/mL-7.0×10⁵cells/mL, preferably about 2×10⁵ cells per/mL in a suitable medium,preferably supplemented with EGF (e.g. 10-50 ng/ml, preferably 20 ng/mlEGF). Examples of suitable medium for neural stem cells includeNeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™ ProliferationSupplements; StemCell Technologies Inc.) and any medium comprised of abasal medium (for example MEM, DMEM/F12, Iscove's, McKoy's, RPMI),supplemented with glucose, HEPES and sodium bicarbonate; and aproliferation supplement consisting of components such as Insulin,Apotransferin, Progesterone, Putrescine, Sodium Selenite, PituitaryExtracts (O'Connor et al., 1996). In a preferred embodiment, the mediumis serum free.

Alternately, cells from cultured neurospheres can also be used for theassay. Striata or cortex are dissected from mouse embryos using standardmicrodissection techniques. Tissue is collected in phosphate-bufferedsaline with 2% glucose then mechanically dissociated using afire-polished glass pipette into a single cell suspension and plated ina suitable medium such as complete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ BasalMedium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements; StemCell TechnologiesInc.) with about 20 ng/ml of EGF. Cells are cultured for 7 days togenerate neurospheres for use in the NCFC assay. Day 7 neurospheres arecollected from the culture, mechanically dissociated into a single cellsuspension, filtered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer (Falcon) anddiluted to a concentration of preferably about 2.0×10⁵ cells per/mL in asuitable medium such as complete NeuroCult™ medium preferably containinga growth factor (e.g. EGF).

The neural cells are then suspended in a semi-solid medium. Anysemi-solid medium that can support the growth of the cells can be used.Preferably the semi-solid medium is collagen-based ormethylcellulose-based (IMDM, DMEM/F12, McKoy's, Iscoves). The semi-solidmedium may comprises the same suitable medium used to culture the neuralcells (e.g. Neurocult™ serum free medium without cytokines;Neurocult™Proliferation Supplements; and EGF) to which collagen ormethylcellulose is added. In a preferred embodiment, the medium is serumfree. Cells in the semi-solid medium are plated at a concentration thatwill allow sufficient number of colonies for statistical analyses of thedata (e.g. 1000-25,000 cells, preferably 2500-7500 per 35 mm culturedish). The colonies which are formed arise from a single cell—either aneural stem cell or progenitor cell. The colonies are cultured untilsize and differences can be discerned between colonies sizes (e.g. about10-30 days), colonies are counted and colony size is estimated usinggrids on a scoring dish. Colonies which were generated from a singleneural stem cell will continue to grow in size over time, while coloniesgenerated from a neural progenitor cell will have a limited ability togrow and hence not continue to grow in size over time. Colony size willdistinguish between High Proliferative Potential-NSC (HPP-NSC), LowProliferative Potential-NSC (LPP-NSC) and Neural Progenitors cells.Therefore, the size of the colony generated can be indicative of whetherthe colony was generated from a neural stem cell or neural progenitorcell and further whether the NSC have high or low proliferativepotentials. In particular, the larger colonies (as compared to the othercolonies on the dish) are indicative of high proliferative potentialneural stem cells, mid-sized colonies are indicative of lowproliferative potential neural progenitor cells, and the smallercolonies are indicative of neural progenitor cells. The actual diameterof the “larger colonies” or “smaller colonies” will depend on manyfactors, such as how long the colonies are cultured etc. For example,after culturing 2500 cells/dish for 14-28 days, colonies were classifiedinto one of four categories based on diameter: (1) >2.0 mm, (2) 1-2 mm,(3) 0.5-1 mm and (4) <0.5 mm. Therefore, assuming the colonies arecultured for at least 14 days, a diameter of greater than 2.0 mm isindicative of a colony generated from a neural stem cell.

Cell types can also be distinguished based on morphologies they produce.Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for identifyingneural stem cells comprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural stem cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until colonies are formed; and    -   (d) determining the morphology of the colonies wherein the        presence of undulated colonies indicates that the colonies are        produced by neural stem cells.

The present invention further provides a method for identifying neuralprogenitor cells comprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural progenitor cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until colonies are formed; and    -   (d) determining the morphology of the colonies wherein the        presence of colonies with a smooth periphery indicates that the        colonies are produced by neural progenitor cells.

In the above assays that detect NSC or neural progenitor cells based onmorphology, the source of the neural cells as well as the assay mediaand conditions are as described above for the assay based on colonysize.

As described in Example 6, the colonies of different sizes displayeddifferent morphology. With respect to colonies >2 mm in diameter, insome cases the surface periphery of the colony contained protrusions andwas undulated with a dense layer of cells below the protrusions. Othercolonies >2 mm in diameter had varying degrees of cell density asreflected by the color intensity of the colonies. In some cases, thecenter of the large colony had a dark circle of cells. Different colonymorphologies could also be observed for colonies 1-2 mm and 0.5-1 mm indiameter. The characteristics of the 1-2 mm colonies included hairy-likeedges and dense central cores which are phase contrast dark. Other 1-2mm colonies have a more homogenous cluster of cells. Some colonies 0.5-1mm in diameter had a dense center and smooth surface while others had astar-like outer surface. Some colonies within this size range appearedvery phase contrast dark and dense. The colony morphology observed forcolonies <0.5 mm in diameter was not as distinct as those observed inthe colonies from the other size categories. In some cases, a densecentral core was observed in the <0.5 mm small colonies.

In another embodiment, the presence of neural stem cells can be assessedby determining antigen expression of the colonies. Accordingly, thepresent invention provides a method for identifying neural stem cellscomprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural stem cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until colonies are formed; and    -   (d) determining the antigen expression of the colonies wherein        the presence of markers associated with undifferentiated cells        indicates that the colonies are produced by neural stem cells.

The present invention further provides a method for identifying neuralprogenitor cells comprising:

-   -   (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium which        supports the growth of neural progenitor cells;    -   (b) plating the cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that        allows for the production of colonies;    -   (c) culturing the plated cells until colonies are formed; and    -   (d) determining the antigen expression of the colonies wherein        the presence of cell markers associated with specific neural        lineages indicates that the colonies are produced by neural        progenitor cells.

In the above assays that detect NSC or neural progenitor cells based onantigen expression, the source of the neural cells as well as the assaymedia and conditions are as described above for the assay based oncolony size.

The antigen expression of the colonies can be determined byimmunocytochemical staining by antibodies directed against markers forundifferentiated cells (eg anti-nestin, sox1, sox2, musashi, LexA, CD24)and differentiated cells (anti-Beta Tubulin, GFAP, O4, MAP2, MBP). Oneof skill in the art can readily determine other suitable markers. In oneembodiment, the colonies are tested for nestin expression which isindicative of neural stem cells. In another embodiment, the colonies aretested for β-tubulin expression which is indicative of neural progenitorcells.

All of the above assays of the invention that distinguish between NSCand neural progenitor cells (e.g. based on size, morphology or antigenexpression) can be collectively referred to herein as the Neural ColonyForming Cell (NCFC) assay, for ease of referral.

Given the ability of the NCFC assay to identify different NSC and todiscriminate them from neural progenitor cells, the NCFC assay is usefulfor the screening of potential therapeutic compositions for efficacy(drugs targeted at specific subsets of NSC) or toxicity (drugs targetedto tissues/cells other than NSC). Desired compositions can be applied tothe cultured cells at varying dosages and the response of the NSC orprogenitor cells monitored. For instance, the effects of the compositionon proliferation of NSC or neural progenitor cells can be determined,expression of new or increased levels of proteins such as enzymes,receptors, neurotransmitters and amino acids can be analyzed with anytechnique known in the art.

The NCFC assay can also be used to study the effects of in vivomanipulations of the CNS (genetic or epigenetic) and their effect on NSCand neural progenitor cells or the unintentional effects of compositionsdesigned to treat non-CNS cells and the secondary or side effects thatsuch compositions may have on NSC and neural progenitor cells. In thisinstance the animal would be treated with the composition, cellsisolated from the CNS and the NCFC Assay used to evaluate the effects ofthe composition on proliferation, gene expression and or proteinexpression of NSC and neural progenitor cells.

Examples for the application of the NCFC assay can include drugscreening, diagnostics of diseases and states of the CNS, detection ofenvironmental effects on the CNS such as those caused by radiation,poisons, stimulating or environmental enrichment and evaluating animalmodels of CNS diseases.

Another application of the NCFC assay would be in screening for theeffects of aging, dietary intake and exercise on the CNS.

The NCFC assay can be used in the research into the biology of neuralstem cells and the identification of signals, growth factors, hormones,signal transduction molecules and neurotransmitters. For instance theuse of NCFC assay can include research in the biology of neuraldevelopment, biology of diseases of the CNS (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's,Multiple Sclerosis, cancer, brain tumor metastasis, tumor progression,Huntington's), biology of injuries in the CNS (spinal cord, recoveryfrom surgery), biology of neurological syndromes (Schizophrenia) and thebiology of aging and memory loss.

Other uses of the NCFC assay include of evaluating enhancement of brainfunction, perception of pain, post trauma healing, addictions, memoryloss and behavioral disorders.

Diseases or disorders of the CNS such as neurodegenerative diseases(e.g. multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease,Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis, Huntington's disease) and CNS injuries(e.g. stroke, head injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy) involvethe degeneration, malfunctioning, or loss of neural cells. It isexpected that transplantation of neural stem cells may be used to treatsuch diseases or disorders of the CNS. Accordingly, the NCFC assay ofthe present invention can be used to assess the quality of the cellpreparations that are used in therapy. The NSC identified according tothe assay can also be used in the treatment of diseases or disorders ofthe CNS.

The following non-limiting examples are illustrative of the presentinvention:

EXAMPLES Example 1 Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC) Assay Using MouseEmbryonic Day 14 Striatal Cells

Neural cells can be obtained from primary embryonic, post-natal or adultCNS tissue from any region of the neuroaxis including but not limited tothe striatum, septum, cortex, ventral mesencephalon, septum, midbrain,cerebellum or spinal cord from murine, rodent and human. Neural cellscan also be obtained from cultured cells such as those generated usingthe Neurosphere Assay or any method known to one skilled in the art ofneural tissue culture. Neural cells can also be obtained from any stageof embryonic stem cell cultures according to any standard procedure forculturing ES cells.

For example, striata and/or cortex are dissected from Embryonic Day 14CD₁ albino mouse embryos (Charles River) using standard microdissectiontechniques. Tissue is collected in phosphate-buffered saline with 2%glucose then mechanically dissociated using a fire-polished glasspipette into a single cell suspension, washed once and filtered througha 40 μm nylon cell strainer (Falcon) and diluted to a concentration of2.17×10⁵ cells per/mL in complete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ BasalMedium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements; StemCell TechnologiesInc. with 20 ng/ml of EGF).

Alternately, cells from cultured neurospheres can also be used for theNCFC assay. Striata are dissected from Embryonic Day 14 CD₁ albino mouseembryos (Charles River) using standard microdissection techniques.Tissue is collected in phosphate-buffered saline with 2% glucose thenmechanically dissociated using a fire-polished glass pipette into asingle cell suspension and plated in a complete NeuroCult™ medium(NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements;StemCell Technologies Inc.) with 20 ng/ml of EGF. Cells are cultured for7 days to generate neurospheres for use in the NCFC assay. Day 7neurospheres are collected from the culture, mechanically dissociatedinto a single cell suspension, filtered through a 40 μm nylon cellstrainer (Falcon).

A single cell suspension of neural cells produced from either of the twoexamples mentioned above are diluted to a concentration of 2.17×10⁵cells per/ml in complete NeuroCult™ medium (StemCell Technologies Inc.).To make a 3.3 ml solution of the semi-solid NCFC assay media add thefollowing components in the given order:

NeuroCult ™ NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   6.6 μl Cells (2 × 10⁵cell/ml)  25 μl Collagen (Bovine, StemCell Technologies) 1300 μl TotalVolume 3361 μl

Mix the resulting solution well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension is plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 2500 cellsper dish. Cultures are placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The colonies are enumerated and sizednumber between day 14-28.

Example 2 Growth of Neural Colonies Generated by Mouse Embryonic Day 14Striatal Cells in Semi-Solid Culture (NCFC Assay) Versus LiquidSuspension Culture (Neurosphere Assay)

Cells were isolated from primary mouse CNS tissue or from day 7 culturesof neurospheres as detailed in Example 1 above. Briefly striata and/orcortex were dissected from Embryonic Day 14 CD₁ albino mouse embryos(Charles River) using standard microdissection techniques. Tissue wascollected in phosphate-buffered saline with 2% glucose then mechanicallydissociated using a fire-polished glass pipette into a single cellsuspension, washed once and filtered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer(Falcon) and diluted to a concentration of 2.17×10⁵ cells per/mL incomplete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™Proliferation Supplements; StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml ofEGF).

Alternately, cells from cultured neurospheres can also be used for theNCFC assay as described previously. Striata are dissected from EmbryonicDay 14 CD₁ albino mouse embryos (Charles River) using standardmicrodissection techniques. Tissue is collected in phosphate-bufferedsaline with 2% glucose then mechanically dissociated using afire-polished glass pipette into a single cell suspension and plated ina complete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™Proliferation Supplements; StemCell Technologies Inc.) with 20 ng/ml ofEGF. Cells are cultured for 7 days to generate neurospheres for use inthe NCFC assay. Day 7 neurospheres are collected from the culture,mechanically dissociated into a single cell suspension, filtered througha 40 μm nylon cell strainer (Falcon).

A single cell suspension of neural cells produced from the two examplesmentioned above are diluted to a concentration of 2.17×10⁵ cells per/mlin complete NeuroCult™ medium (StemCell Technologies Inc.). To make a3.3 ml solution of the semi-solid NCFC assay media add the followingcomponents in the given order:

NeuroCult ™ NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μmg/ml)   6.6 μl Cells (2.17 ×10⁵ cell/ml)  25 μl Collagen (Bovine, StemCell Technologies) 1300 μlTotal Volume 3361 μl

Mix the resulting solution well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension is plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 2500 cellsper dish. Cultures are placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. Enumerate colony size and number betweenday 14-28.

FIG. 4 shows the morphology of the neurospheres formed in a NCFC assayand Neurosphere Assay after the numbers of days in cultures as listed inthe figure legend. FIG. 5 shows the number of colonies generated in theNCFC is similar to the number of colonies generated in the NeurosphereAssay. In summary, similar numbers of neurospheres and colonies areformed in the NA and NCFC Assay, respectively. This indicated that theculture conditions used in the NCFC Assay do not inhibit proliferationof EGF-responsive cells.

Example 3 Relationship Between Colony Size and Days in the NCFC AssayUsing Mouse Embryonic Day 14 Striatal Cells

Cells were isolated from primary mouse CNS tissue or from day 7 culturesof neurospheres as detailed in Example 1 above.

Within 4-7 days of plating in the NCFC assay NSC and neural progenitorcells begin to proliferate (FIG. 6A) forming small colonies. By 14 daysthese small colonies have grown in size and differences can be discernedbetween colonies (FIG. 6B). A number of the colonies appear to stopgrowing after approximately 10-14 days while other colonies continue toexpand. By 21-28 days, colonies can be classified into at least 4categories: 1) greater than 2 mm in diameter, 2) 1-2 mm in diameter, 3)0.5-1 mm in diameter and 4) less than 0.5 mm in diameter (FIG. 7).

Example 4 Sizes of Different Colony Types and Frequency of Colonies ofthe Various Sizes Generated in the NCFC Assay by Mouse Embryonic Day 14Striatal Cells

Colonies can be sized and counted and the frequency of colonies withineach of these size categories graphed (FIG. 8A). This can also beexpressed as a percentage of total cells plated (FIG. 8B) or as apercentage of total colonies generated (FIG. 8C). The majority (76%) ofthe colonies generated are less than 0.5 mm in size with a very smallfraction (2.3%) forming large colonies greater than 2 mm in diameter.

Example 5 Proliferative Potential of Cells Dissociated from Colonies ofDifferent Sizes Originally Generated from Mouse Embryonic Day 14Striatal Cells within the Different Size Colonies

The proliferative potential of the cell compromising the colonies ofdifferent sizes was measured by the following procedure. Colonies fromthe four size categories were isolated by cutting them from the collagenmatrix and individually incubating them in a 0.25% solution ofcollagenase for 30 mins. at 37° C. (FIG. 9). The excised colony was thenmechanically disrupted with a Gilson pipette tip, breaking up the matrixand producing a single cell suspension. All the cells from a singlecolony were plated into an individual well of a 24-well plated incomplete NeuroCult™ medium supplemented with EGF (Neurosphere Assay).Ten to 14 days later, in wells where new spheres had formed,neurospheres were collected, mechanically dissociated and replated infresh medium. This was repeated every 10-14 days. A HPP-NSC colony wasexcised from the NCFC assay as detailed above (FIG. 9). Under theseculture conditions growth factor-responsive cell lines (FIG. 10B-C andFIG. 11) were generated from colonies that were 2 mm or larger (HPP-NSCcolony) in diameter but not in those that were less than 0.5 mm indiameter (FIG. 11).

Example 6 The Different Colony Morphologies Generated by Mouse EmbryonicDay 14 Striatal Cells

Cells were isolated from primary mouse CNS tissue or from day 7 culturesof neurospheres as detailed in Example 1 above.

Within 4-7 days of plating in the NCFC assay, NSC and neural progenitorcells begin to proliferate (FIG. 6A) forming small colonies. By 14 daysthese small colonies have grown to varying degrees and colonies ofdifferent sizes can be discerned (FIG. 6B). A number of the coloniesappear to stop growing after approximately 10-14 days while othercolonies continue to expand. By 21-28 days, colonies can be classifiedinto at least 4 categories: 1) greater than 2 mm in diameter, 2) 1-2 mmin diameter, 3) 0.5-1 mm in diameter and 4) less than 0.5 mm in diameter(FIG. 7). Also by 21-28 days, differences in the colony morphologieswithin the various colony size categories can be observed. Colonies fromthe four size categories were photographed directly through themicroscope and differences in morphologies recorded (FIGS. 13-16). Thesecolonies from the four size categories were then isolated by cuttingthem from the collagen matrix and individually incubating them in a0.25% solution of collagenase for 30 mins. at 37° C. (FIG. 9). Theexcised colony was then mechanically disrupted with a Gilson pipettetip, breaking up the matrix and producing a single cell suspension. Allthe cells from a single colony were plated into an individual well of a24-well plated in complete NeuroCult™ medium supplemented with EGF(Neurosphere Assay). Ten to 14 days later, in wells where new sphereshad formed, neurospheres were collected, mechanically dissociated andreplated in fresh medium. This was repeated every 10-14 days. A HPP-NSCcolony was excised from the NCFC assay as detailed above (FIG. 9). Underthese culture conditions growth factor-responsive cell lines (FIG.10B-C) were generated from colonies that were 2 mm or larger (HPP-NSCcolony) in diameter but not in those that were less than 0.5 mm indiameter.

The different colony morphologies observed for colonies of >2 mm indiameter is shown in FIG. 13. In some cases the surface periphery of thecolony contained protrusions and was undulated with a dense layer ofcells below the protrusions (FIG. 13A). Other colonies >2 mm in diameterhad varying degrees of cell density as reflected by the color intensityof the colonies (FIGS. 13B and 13C). In some cases, the center of thelarge colony had a dark circle of cells (FIG. 13D).

Different colony morphologies could also be observed for colonies 1-2 mmand 0.5-1 mm in diameter (FIGS. 14 and 15). The characteristics of the1-2 mm colonies included hairy-like edges (FIG. 14C) and dense centralcores which are phase contrast dark (FIGS. 14A and 14B). Other 1-2 mmcolonies have a more homogenous cluster of cells (FIG. 14D).

Some colonies 0.5-1 mm in diameter (FIG. 15) had a dense center andsmooth surface (FIGS. 15A and 15B respectively) while others had astar-like outer surface (FIG. 15C). Some colonies within this size rangeappeared very phase contrast dark and dense (FIG. 15D).

The colony morphology observed for colonies <0.5 mm in diameter was notas distinct as those observed in the colonies from the other sizecategories (FIG. 16A-D). In some cases, a dense central core wasobserved in the <0.5 mm small colonies (FIG. 16D).

As noted above, in the definition of NSC and neural progenitor cells,NSC have an extensive proliferative potential while neural progenitorcells have a limited proliferative potential. The ability of the largecolonies to be passaged repeatably supports the conclusion that theywere originally derived from a NSC. Alternatively, the inability ofsmall colonies to exhibit continued proliferation and generate a largenumber of progeny supports that they are not stem cell derived butrather are neural progenitor cells. Therefore the NCFC assay was able todiscriminate the cells with different proliferative potentials—high andlow proliferative potentials.

Example 7 Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC) Assay Mouse PrimaryEmbryonic Day 14 Striatal CNS Tissue

Neural cells were obtained from primary embryonic mouse CNS tissue fromthe region of the neuroaxis called the striatum. For example, striatawere dissected from Embryonic Day 14 CD₁ albino mouse embryos (CharlesRiver) using standard microdissection techniques. Tissue was collectedin phosphate-buffered saline with 2% glucose then mechanicallydissociated using a fire-polished glass pipette into a single cellsuspension, washed once and filtered through a 40 mm nylon cell strainer(Falcon) and diluted to a concentration of 2.17×10⁵ cells per/mL incomplete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™Proliferation Supplements; StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml ofEGF).

A single cell suspension of neural cells produced from the examplementioned above was diluted to a concentration of 2.17×10⁵ cells per/mlin complete NeuroCult™ medium (StemCell Technologies Inc.). To make a3.3 ml solution of the semi-solid NSC assay media add the followingcomponents in the given order:

NeuroCult NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μmg/ml)   6.6 μl Cells (2.17 ×10⁵ cell/ml)  25 μl Collagen (Bovine, StemCell Technologies) 1300 μlTotal Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 2500 cellsper dish. Cultures were placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO2. The colonies were enumerated and sizednumber between day 14-28.

Example 8 Sizes of Different Colony Types and Frequency of Colonies ofthe Various Sizes Generated in the NCFC Assay Using Primary MouseEmbryonic Day 14 Striatal Cells

Colonies were sized and counted and the frequency of colonies withineach of these size categories summarized in Table 1. This result wasexpressed as a percentage of total cells plated (Table 1). Between0.52-1.1% of the total cells plated proliferated to varying degrees andformed different size colonies. A very small fraction (0.09%) of thetotal cells plated formed large (>2 mm) colonies. The majority of thecolonies formed were <1 mm (0.5%) suggesting a more limitedproliferative potential.

Example 9 Proliferative Potential of Primary Mouse Embryonic Day 14Striatal Cells within Different Size Colonies

The proliferative potential of the colonies of different sizes wasmeasured by the following procedure. Colonies from the four sizecategories were isolated by cutting them from the collagen matrix andindividually incubating them in a 0.25% solution of collagenase for 30mins. at 37° C. (FIG. 9). The excised colony was then mechanicallydisrupted with a Gilson pipette tip, breaking up the matrix andproducing a single cell suspension. All the cells from a single colonywere plated into an individual well of a 24-well plated in completeNeuroCult™ medium supplemented with EGF (Neurosphere Assay). Ten to 14days later, in wells where new spheres had formed, neurospheres werecollected, mechanically dissociated and replated in fresh medium. Thiswas repeated every 10-14 days. The cells from colonies >2 mm in diameteralways generated secondary and tertiary neurospheres (FIG. 17). Thecells from these tertiary neurospheres proliferated, expanded andmaintained multi-lineage potential in long-term cultures, suggesting theoriginal NCFC to be a NSC. Cells within colonies between 1-2, 0.5-1 andthose less than 0.5 mm produced secondary spheres 50, 36 and 17 percentof the time, respectively. The cells from colonies 1-2 mm in diametergenerated tertiary spheres 8.3% of the time, however these could not bepassaged. Cells from colonies <1 mm in diameter never produced tertiaryspheres suggesting that the original NCFCs did not have all thecharacteristics of NSC described in the background and were progenitors.

Example 10 Multi-Lineage Differentiation Potential of Secondary SpheresGenerated from Colonies >2 mm from Primary Mouse Embryonic Day 14Striatal Cells

The multi-lineage differentiation potential of the colonies greater than2 mm was measured by the following procedure. Individual colonies >2 mmwere isolated by cutting them from the collagen matrix and individuallyincubating them in a 0.25% solution of collagenase for 30 mins. at 37°C. (Method diagram in FIG. 9). The excised colony was then mechanicallydisrupted with a Gilson pipette tip, breaking up the matrix andproducing a single cell suspension. All the cells from a single colonywere plated into an individual well of a 24-well plated in completeNeuroCult™ medium supplemented with EGF (Neurosphere Assay). Ten to 14days later, in wells where new spheres had formed, neurospheres werecollected, mechanically dissociated and all cells from the colony platedin pre-coated poly-D-Lysine/Laminin # 35-4688 Becton Dickinson BioCoat8-well Culture Slides containing 0.8 mL of complete NeuroCult™ mediumsupplemented with 1% serum. Under these culture conditions the cellsdifferentiated and were then further processed for immunostaining usingthe following procedure. Cultures are observed after 6-8 days with aninverted light microscope to determine if cells have differentiated andare viable. The medium was changed during the differentiation procedure,depending on the number of cells plated and if the medium became acidic(turns yellow/orange in colour). The medium was changed by removingapproximately 50% of the medium and replacing with fresh completeNeuroCult™ medium supplemented with 1% serum.

After 10 days of culture the culture medium was removed from eachchamber containing differentiating cells (taking care not to remove allthe medium and exposed the unfixed cells to air) and 1 mL of the 4%para-formaldehyde solution was added directly into the chamber. Cellswere incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature. The para-formaldehydesolution was aspirated using an aspiration system connecting to a vacuumpump. PBS (pH 7.2) was added to the samples and incubate for 5 minutes.This washing procedure was repeated for two more times for a total of 3wash steps. Next, the cells were permeabilized by adding 1 mL of PBScontaining 0.3% Triton X-100 to each well and incubating for 5 minutesat room temperature. After 5 minutes the PBS/Triton-X 100 was removed byaspiration and two 5 min. PBS washes were performed.

The samples were then labeled with primary antibodies directed againstthe specific lineage markers Beta-Tubulin for neurons, GFAP forastrocytes and O4 for oligodendrocytes. The primary antibodies werediluted at the optimal working dilutions (Beta-Tubulin antibody used at1:1000; GFAP antibody used at 1:100 and O4 antibody used at 1:50) in thediluent solution PBS containing 10% goat serum. A 250 μL volume of thediluted antibodies was then added directly into the chamber and allsamples were incubated for 2 hours at 37° C. After the incubationperiod, the primary antibody was washed off with three 5 minute washesusing PBS. Next, the secondary antibodies, goat anti-mouse IgG (H+ L)Texas Red dye-conjugated, goat anti-rabbit IgG (H+ L) AMCA-conjugatedand goat ant-mouse IgM, μ chain specific FITC-conjugated were diluted inPBS containing 2% serum (same serum used as diluent for the primaryantibody), and added to each chamber slide. The samples were incubatedwith 250 μL of the secondary antibodies for 30 minutes at 37° C. Afterthe incubation, the secondary antibodies were washed off with three 5minute washes using PBS. The chamber was removed from the glass slidesby following the manufacturer's protocol. 5 μL of mounting medium wasadded in each chamber slot which was then covered with a 75 mm coverslipavoiding trapping any air bubbles. The immunofluorescence was visualizedunder a fluorescent microscope using the appropriate filters for eachfluorophore.

Cells isolated from secondary spheres originally generated fromcolonies >2 mm were able to produce the three cell phenotypes found inthe CNS-neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes (FIG. 18) suggestedthat the original NCFCs to be a NSC.

Example 11 In Situ Immunostaining of Colonies Generated by Primary MouseEmbryonic Day 14 Striatal Cells in the NCFC Assay

The colonies formed in the NCFC assay can also be immunocytochemicallystained directly in situ since the collagen gels can be dried andstained. Growth, dehydration, fixation and staining of the neuralcolonies are all performed on 35 mm culture dishes and over-sized (75mm×50 mm) slides. In situ staining of colonies in the NCFC assay wasperformed according to the following procedure. A container containingapproximately 200 mL of acetone was placed on ice for a minimum of 15minutes. The 35 mm culture dishes used in the NCFC assay was removedfrom the incubator and the lids from dishes removed. Each culture dishcontaining the collagen gel and embedded colonies was flipped upsidedown onto an over-sized 75 mm×50 mm slide. A pre-cut polypropyleneseparator was placed onto the collagen gel together with a thick whitefilter card to allow liquid to soak the card. The thick white card wasthen removed leaving the original polypropylene separator in place. Theentire slides containing the collagen gel and spacers was placedhorizontally into an appropriate plastic container filled with about 200mL of cold acetone. The polypropylene spacers floated off, leaving thecollagen gel on the slide. The slides were left in acetone for fiveminutes. The slides were removed from the fixative and allowed to airdry, vertically. The glass slides were placed in a plastic containercontaining 4% para-formaldehyde and samples incubated for 30 minutes atroom temperature. The para-formaldehyde solution was poured off andapproximately 20 mL of PBS (pH 7.2) was added to the samples andincubate for 5 minutes. This washing procedure was repeated for two moretimes for a total of 3 wash steps. Next, the cells were permeabilized byadding 20 mL of PBS containing 0.3% Triton X-100 into the plasticcontainer containing the glass slide and samples incubated for 5 minutesat room temperature. After 5 minutes the PBS/Triton-X 100 was poured offand two 5 minute PBS washes were performed.

The samples were then labeled with the primary antibody directed againstnestin, a marker for undifferentiated neural cells. The anti-nestinantibody was diluted at 1:50 in PBS containing 10% goat serum.Approximate 500 μL of the diluted antibody was then added directly ontothe dehydrated collagen gel on the glass slide and a piece of parafilmwas placed on top of the antibody solution. All samples were incubatedfor 2 hours at 37° C. After the incubation period, the primary antibodywas washed off with three 5-minute washes using PBS. Next, the secondaryantibody, goat anti-mouse IgG (H+ L) Texas Red-conjugated was diluted inPBS containing 2% goat serum, and added directly to the dehydratedcollagen gel on the to glass slide. A piece of parafilm was placed ontop of the antibody solution and the samples were incubated with thesecondary antibodies for 30 minutes at 37° C. After the incubation, thesecondary antibodies were washed off with three 5-minute washes usingPBS. 5 μL of mounting medium was added in the middle of the eachdehydrated collagen gel and then covered with a coverslip avoidingtrapping any air bubbles. The immunofluorescence was visualized under afluorescent microscope using the appropriate filters for eachfluorophore.

Cells within colonies >2 mm were highly positive for nestin expressionand the majority of cells within these colonies stained for nestin (FIG.19A). Colonies 1-2 mm (FIG. 19B) and 0.5-1 mm in diameter (FIG. 19C)contained lower numbers of cells which were positive for nestinexpression compared to cells within colonies >2 mm in diameter whilecolonies <0.5 mm contained the lowest numbers of nestin positive cells(FIG. 19D). This indicated that colonies >2 mm contained higher numbersof undifferentiated cells which would include NSC and progenitorscompared to colonies <2 mm in diameter.

Example 12 Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC) Assay Using Increased MousePrimary Embryonic Day 14 Striatal Cell Numbers

Neural cells were obtained from primary embryonic mouse CNS tissue fromthe region of the neuroaxis called the striatum. For example, striatawere dissected from Embryonic Day 14 CD₁ albino mouse embryos (CharlesRiver) using standard microdissection techniques. Tissue was collectedin phosphate-buffered saline with 2% glucose then mechanicallydissociated using a fire-polished glass pipette into a single cellsuspension, washed once and filtered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer(Falcon) and diluted to a concentration of 6.51×10⁵ cells per/mL incomplete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™Proliferation Supplements; StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml ofEGF). This concentration of cells is three times higher than that usedfor passaged 2 E14 striatal neurospheres in Example 1 and primarystriatal cells in Example 7 (2.17×10⁵ cells/mL). The concentration of6.51×10⁵ cells/mL yields 7500 total cells plated per 35 mm dish, whichwas found to be produce the appropriate numbers of colonies for scoring.

A single cell suspension of neural cells produced from the examplementioned above was diluted to a concentration of 6.51×10⁵ cells per/mlin complete NeuroCult™ medium (StemCell Technologies Inc.). To make a3.3 ml solution of the semi-solid NSC assay media add the followingcomponents in the given order:

NeuroCult NCFC serum-free medium without 1700 μl cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnologies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μmg/ml)   6.6 μl Cells (2.17 ×10⁵ cell/ml)  25 μl Collagen (Bovine, StemCell Technologies) 1300 μlTotal Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 7500 cellsper dish. Cultures were placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The colonies were enumerated and sizednumber between day 14-28.

Example 13 Sizes of Different Colony Types and Frequency of Colonies ofthe Various Sizes Generated in the NCFC Assay Mouse Primary Embryonicday 14 Striatal CNS Tissue

Cells from primary embryonic CNS tissue were cultured in the NCFC assayas described in Example 12. Colonies were be sized and counted and thefrequency of colonies within each of these size categories graphed (FIG.20). This was expressed as a percentage of total cells plated (FIG. 20C)or as a percentage of total colonies generated (FIG. 20B). The majority(50%) of the colonies generated are less than 0.5 mm in size with a 16%forming large colonies greater than 2 mm in diameter. A very smallfraction (0.08%) of the total cells plated formed large (>2 mm)colonies. The majority of the colonies formed were <1 mm (0.4%)suggesting a more limited proliferative potential.

Example 14 Sizes of Different Colony Types and Frequency of Colonies ofthe Various Sizes Generated by Cells from Colonies >2 mm in DiameterRe-Plated in the NCFC Assay Mouse Primary Embryonic Day 14 Striatal CNSTissue

Cells from primary embryonic CNS tissue were cultured in the NCFC assayas described in Example 12. The ability of cells within colonies >2 mmin diameter to generate the different colony types when re-plated backinto the NCFC was measured by the following procedure. Colonies >2 mm indiameter were isolated by cutting them from the collagen matrix andindividually incubating them in a 0.25% solution of collagenase for 30mins. at 37° C. (FIG. 9). The excised colony was then mechanicallydisrupted with a Gilson pipette tip, breaking up the matrix andproducing a single cell suspension. All the cells from a single colonywere plated into an individual well of a 96-well plated in completeNeuroCult™ medium supplemented with EGF (Neurosphere Assay). Ten to 14days later, in wells where new spheres had formed (secondary spheres),neurospheres were collected, mechanically dissociated and replated infresh medium in a 24-well plate to generate tertiary spheres. Ten to 14days later, in wells where tertiary neurospheres had formed,neurospheres were collected, mechanically dissociated and viable cellscounted using Trypan blue exclusion. Cells were then plated in the NCFCassay according to the procedure below. The concentration of cells wasadjusted to 2.17×10⁵ cells per/mL in complete NeuroCult™ medium(NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements;StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml of EGF) and added to thesemi-solid NCFC assay media in the given order:

NeuroCult ™ NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnologies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μmg/ml)   6.6 μl Cells  25 μlCollagen (Bovine, StemCell Technologies) 1300 μl Total Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 2500 cellsper dish. Cultures were placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The colonies were enumerated and sizednumber between day 14-28. Cells within colonies >2 mm in diameter wereable to re-generate colonies of the different size categories (FIG. 21).

Example 15 Long Term Proliferative Potential and Expansion of Cells fromColonies >2 mm in Diameter Mouse Primary Embryonic Day 14 Striatal CNSTissue

Cells from primary embryonic CNS tissue were cultured in the NCFC assayas described in Example 12. The ability of cells within colonies >2 mmin diameter to self-renew and generate a large number of progeny inlong-term neurosphere cultures (beyond tertiary neurospheres) wasmeasured by the following procedure. Colonies >2 mm in diameter wereisolated by cutting them from the collagen matrix and individuallyincubating them in a 0.25% solution of collagenase for 30 mins. at 37°C. (FIG. 9). The excised colony was then mechanically disrupted with aGilson pipette tip, breaking up the matrix and producing a single cellsuspension. All the cells from a single colony were plated into anindividual well of a 96-well plated in complete NeuroCult™ mediumsupplemented with EGF (Neurosphere Assay). Ten to 14 days later, inwells where new spheres had formed (secondary spheres), neurosphereswere collected, mechanically dissociated and replated in fresh medium ina 24-well plate to generate tertiary spheres. Ten to 14 days later, inwells where tertiary neurospheres had formed, neurospheres werecollected, mechanically dissociated and cells plated in 6-well platescontaining complete NeuroCult™ medium supplemented with EGF. Ten to 14days later, in wells where neurospheres had formed, neurospheres werecollected, mechanically dissociated and viable cells counted usingTrypan blue exclusion. All cells were then plated in a T-25 cm² flaskcontaining complete NeuroCult™ medium supplemented with EGF (Passage 4).This re-plating process was repeated every 10-14 days to generatelong-term cultures. At each culture passage cell numbers were countedand the fold expansion was calculated by dividing the total number ofviable cells at each passage with the total number of viable cellsseeded at that passage. The cumulative fold expansion (passage 6-10) intotal number of viable cells was then calculated from the starting cellnumber at passage 6 (FIG. 22). Cells from four individual colonies >2 mmin diameter showed increasing fold expansion in total numbers of viablecells however the growth rate of the cells varied. Cells fromcolonies >2 mm in diameter were able to self-renew beyond 8 passages andproduce increasing numbers of progeny, two important features of aneural stem cell.

Example 16 Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC) Assay Using PrimaryEmbryonic Day 18 (E18) Rat Cortical Cells

Neural cells can be obtained from primary embryonic, post-natal or adultCNS tissue from any region of the neuroaxis including but not limited tothe striatum, septum, cortex, ventral mesencephalon, septum, midbrain,cerebellum or spinal cord from murine, rodent and human.

Cortices were dissected from Embryonic Day 18 Sprague-Fischer 344 ratembryos (BrainBits, Illinois, USA) using standard microdissectiontechniques. Tissue is collected in phosphate-buffered saline with 2%glucose then mechanically dissociated using a p200 Gilson pipette with aplastic disposable pipette tip into a single cell suspension, washedonce and filtered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer (Falcon) anddiluted to a concentration of 6.51×10⁵ cells per/mL in completeNeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ NS-A Basal Medium & NeuroCult™Proliferation Supplements; StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml ofEGF, 10 ng/mL basic fibroblast growth factor—bFGF and 2 μg/mL heparin).

A 3.3 ml solution of the semi-solid NSC assay media was obtained byadding the following components in the given order:

NeuroCult ™ NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   6.6 μl BasicFibroblast Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   3.3 μl Heparin Solution (0.2%)  6.6 μl Cells (6.51 × 10⁵ cell/ml)  25 μl Collagen (Bovine, StemCellTechnologies) 1300 μl Total Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 7500 cellsper dish. Cultures are placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The colonies are enumerated and sizednumber between day 14-28 (FIG. 23).

Example 17 Relationship Between Colony Size and Days in the NCFC Assayof Primary E18 Rat Cortical Cells

Cells were isolated from primary E18 rat cortex CNS tissue and culturedin the NCFC assay as detailed in Example 16 above. By 21-28 days,colonies can be classified into at least 4 categories: 1) greater than 2mm in diameter, 2) 1-2 mm in diameter, 3) 0.5-1 mm in diameter and 4)less than 0.5 mm in diameter. FIG. 23 shows two E18 rat colonies 1-2 mmin diameter observed in the NCFC assay.

Example 18 Sizes of Different Colony Types and Frequency of Colonies ofthe Various Sizes Generated in the NCFC Assay Using Primary E18 RatCortical Cells

Colonies can be sized and counted and the frequency of colonies withineach of these size categories graphed (FIG. 24 A-C). This can also beexpressed as a percentage of total cells plated (FIG. 24C) or as apercentage of total colonies generated (FIG. 24B). The majority (77%) ofthe colonies generated are less than 0.5 mm in size with a very smallfraction (0.2%) forming large colonies greater than 2 mm in diameter.

Example 19 Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC) Assay Using Primary AdultSubventricular Zone (SVZ) Mouse Cells

Neural cells can be obtained from the adult mouse CNS tissue from aregion of the neuroaxis called the subventricular zone (SVZ) whichharbors proliferating neural stem and progenitor cells. For example, theSVZ region was dissected from 6 adult CD₁ albion mice (Charles River)using standard microdissection techniques. Tissue is collected inphosphate-buffered saline with 2% glucose, minced with a scalpel andthen enzymatically treated with a Trypsin and DNAse solution for 15mins. at 37° C. After the 15 mins incubation, Ovomucoid Trypsininhibitor was added to the cells and mixed gently. The cell suspensionwas centrifuged for 5 mins. at 800 rpm and the supernatant wasdiscarded. The cell pellet was resuspended in 150 μL of completeNeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ NS-A Basal Medium & NeuroCult™Proliferation Supplements; StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml ofEGF, 10 ng/mL basic fibroblast growth factor—bFGF and 2 μg/mL heparin)and mechanically dissociated using a p200 Gilson pipette with a plasticdisposable pipette tip into a single cell suspension. The cellsuspension was washed two more times (centrifugation) and the finalpellet resuspended in 1 mL of complete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™NS-A Basal Medium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements; StemCellTechnologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml of EGF, 10 ng/mL basic fibroblast growthfactor—bFGF and 2 μg/mL heparin) and filtered through a 40 μm nylon cellstrainer (Falcon). It is extremely difficult to count adult mouse cellsdue to contamination with cell debris, myelin and other cell types,therefore cell counts are not reliable. One hundred and fiftymicroliters (150 μL) from the final 1 mL cell suspension is used in theNCFC assay. The semi-solid NSC assay media was obtained by adding thefollowing components in the given order:

NeuroCult ™ NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   6.6 μl BasicFibroblast Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   3.3 μl Heparin Solution (0.2%)  6.6 μl Adult SVZ Cells (6 brains in 1 mL)  150 μl Collagen (Bovine,StemCell Technologies) 1300 μl Total Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated into fourindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates. Cultures are placed in a tissueculture incubator set at 37° C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The coloniesare enumerated and sized number between day 14-28 (FIG. 25).

Example 20 Adult Subventricular Zone (SVZ) Mouse Neural Colony FormingCells (NCFC)

Cells were isolated from adult SVZ cells from the mouse CNS tissue andcultured in the NCFC assay as detailed in Example 19 above. By 21-28days, colonies can be classified into at least 4 categories: 1) greaterthan 2 mm in diameter, 2) 1-2 mm in diameter, 3) 0.5-1 mm in diameterand 4) less than 0.5 mm in diameter (FIG. 25).

Example 21 Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC) Assay Using Passaged 4Neurospheres from Fetal Human Cortical Cells

Neural cells can be obtained from primary embryonic, post-natal or adultCNS tissue from any region of the neuroaxis including but not limited tothe striatum, septum, cortex, ventral mesencephalon, septum, midbrain,cerebellum or spinal cord from murine, rodent and human.

Cells from passage 4 human neurospheres were used for the NCFC assay(Refer to Method). Briefly, passage 4 neurospheres were centrifuged for5 mins. At 400 rpm abd the supernatant was discarded. The cell pelletwas resuspended in 200 μL of complete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ NS-ABasal Medium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements; StemCellTechnologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml of EGF, 10 ng/mL basic fibroblast growthfactor—bFGF and 2 μg/mL heparin) then mechanically dissociated using adisposable plastic pipette tip into a single cell suspension andfiltered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer (Falcon). A cell count wasperformed using Trypan blue exclusion and cells were diluted to aconcentration of 2.17×10⁵ cells per/mL in complete NeuroCult™ medium(NeuroCult™ NS-A Basal Medium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements;StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml of EGF, 10 ng/mL basicfibroblast growth factor—bFGF and 2 μg/mL heparin).

A 3.3 ml solution of the semi-solid NSC assay media was obtained byadding the following components in the given order:

NeuroCult ™ NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   6.6 μl BasicFibroblast Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   3.3 μl Heparin Solution (0.2%)  6.6 μl Human Cells (2.17 × 10⁵ cell/ml)  25 μl Collagen (Bovine,StemCell Technologies) 1300 μl Total Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 7500 cellsper dish. Cultures are placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The colonies are enumerated and sizednumber between day 14-28 (FIG. 26).

Example 22 Different NCFC Colony Sizes Generated by Fetal Human CorticalCells

Single cell suspensions of fetal human neurospheres were cultured in theNCFC assay as detailed in Example 21 above. By 21-28 days, colonies canbe classified into at least 4 categories: 1) greater than 2 mm indiameter (FIG. 26A), 2) 1-2 mm in diameter (FIG. 26B), 3) 0.5-1 mm indiameter (FIG. 26C), and 4) less than 0.5 mm in diameter (FIG. 26D).FIG. 26 shows the different colony sizes derived from single cellsuspension of human cortical cells cultured in the NCFC assay. Themorphology of the colonies generated by fetal human cortical cells inthe NCFC assay differs from the colonies generated by mouse (FIG. 7) andrat cells (FIG. 23). The cells within the different sized colonies aremore dispersed and fewer cells are seen in the colonies >2 mm and 1-2 mmin diameters.

Example 23 Neural Colony Forming Cell (NCFC) Assay Using DifferentGrowth Factors

The presence of subpopulations of EGF, FGF and EGF plus FGF-responsivestem and progenitor cells thought to exist in the embryonic and adultmouse CNS was measured using the NCFC assay. Striata were dissected fromEmbryonic Day 14 CD₁ albino mouse embryos (Charles River) using standardmicrodissection techniques. Tissue is collected in phosphate-bufferedsaline with 2% glucose then mechanically dissociated using afire-polished glass pipette into a single cell suspension, washed onceand filtered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer (Falcon) and diluted toa concentration of 6.51×10⁵ cells per/mL in complete NeuroCult™ medium(NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™ Proliferation Supplements;StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml of EGF). A 3.3 ml solution ofthe semi-solid NSC assay media was made up with the components listedbelow with the exception that the individual growth factors were addedeither alone or in combination:

NeuroCult NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   6.6 μl OR BasicFibroblast Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   3.3 μl Heparin solution (0.2%) -added with   6.6 μl bFGF only Cells (6.51 × 10⁵ cell/ml)  25 μl Collagen(Bovine, StemCell Technologies) - 1300 μl ADDED LAST Total Volume 3361μl

The resulting solution is mixed well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension is plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 7500 cellsper dish. Cultures are placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The EGF, FGF and EGF+FGF colonies wereenumerated and sized between day 14-28.

Example 24 Frequency of Colonies of the Various Sizes Generated by E14Primary Mouse Striatal Cells in the NCFC Assay Containing DifferentGrowth Factors

The NCFC assay was performed using E14 primary mouse striatal cellsaccording to procedure outlined in Example 23 with the growth factors,EGF, bFGF and EGF plus bFGF. The growth factor-responsive cells whichformed colonies can be sized and counted and the frequency of colonieswithin each of these size categories graphed per total cells plated(FIG. 27). In the presence of EGF, FGF or EGF plus FGF, the frequency ofcolonies less than 0.5 mm in size is highest with a very small fraction(<0.1%) forming large colonies greater than 2 mm in diameter. Theresults indicated that in the presence of EGF and FGF, more colonies areobtained however most of the colonies are <0.5 mm and derived fromprogenitor cells as determined by the functional assays performed on thecells within these colonies.

Example 25 In Situ Immunostaining of NCFC Colonies Overlaid with Serumwith Markers Specific for Differentiated Primary E14 Mouse StriatalCells

The colonies formed in the NCFC assay can also be overlaid with serum toinduce cells within the different colonies to differentiate into themature neural lineages and then immunocytochemically stained directly insitu. Primary E14 mouse striatal cells were cultured in the NCFC assayaccording to the procedure outlined in Example 12 for 21 days. At theend of the culture period, 1 mL of NeuroCult™ complete media (StemCellTechnologies Inc.) containing 1% fetal bovine serum was overlaid on topeach NCFC dish and incubated for 10 days. In situ dehydration, fixingand permeabilization of the collagen and embedded-colonies in the NCFCassay was then performed according to the procedure outlined in Example11. The samples were then labeled with the primary antibody directedagainst Beta-Tubulin, a marker specific for immature and mature neurons.The anti-Beta-Tubulin antibody was diluted at 1:1000 in PBS containing10% goat serum. Approximate 500 μL of the diluted antibody was thenadded directly onto the dehydrated collagen gel on the glass slide and apiece of parafilm was placed on top of the antibody solution. Allsamples were incubated for 2 hours at 37° C. After the incubationperiod, the primary antibody was washed off with three 5-minute washesusing PBS. Next, the secondary antibody, goat anti-mouse IgG (H+ L)Texas Red-conjugated was diluted in PBS containing 2% goat serum, andadded directly to the dehydrated collagen gel on the to glass slide. Apiece of parafilm was placed on top of the antibody solution and thesamples were incubated with the secondary antibodies for 30 minutes at37° C. After the incubation, the secondary antibodies were washed offwith three 5-minute washes using PBS. 5 μL of mounting medium was addedin the middle of the each dehydrated collagen gel and then covered witha coverslip avoiding trapping any air bubbles. The immunofluorescencewas visualized under a fluorescent microscope using the appropriatefilters for each fluorophore.

Few cells within colonies >2 mm expressed B-Tubulin (FIGS. 28A and B).Colonies 1-2 mm (FIGS. 28 C and D), 0.5-1 mm in diameter (FIG. 28D) and<0.5 mm in diameter (FIG. 28E) contained higher numbers of cells whichwere positive for B-Tubulin expression compared to cells withincolonies >2 mm in diameter. This procedure allows the detection ofdifferentiated cells within the NCFC colonies after exposure to serum.

Example 26 Use of Methylcellulose and Primary E14 Mouse Striatal in theNCFC Assay

The semi-solid medium used in the NCFC assay described above iscollagen. Other types of semi-solid medium such as methylcellulose, canalso be used to generate neural colonies from single cell suspensions.The ability of neural cells isolated from mouse CNS tissue to formcolonies in a methylcellulose-based semi-solid medium was compared tocollagen-based medium (Example 1).

Striata were dissected from Embryonic Day 14 CD₁ albino mouse embryos(Charles River) using standard microdissection techniques. Tissue iscollected in phosphate-buffered saline with 2% glucose then mechanicallydissociated using a fire-polished glass pipette into a single cellsuspension, washed once and filtered through a 40 μm nylon cell strainer(Falcon) and diluted to a concentration of 6.51×10⁵ cells per/mL incomplete NeuroCult™ medium (NeuroCult™ Basal Medium & NeuroCult™Proliferation Supplements; StemCell Technologies Inc. with 20 ng/ml ofEGF). A 3.3 ml solution of the semi-solid collagen-based assay media wasmade by adding the following components in the given order:

NeuroCult NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   6.6 μl Cells (6.51 ×10⁵ cells/ml)  25 μl Collagen (Bovine, StemCell Technologies) 1300 μlTotal Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated intoindividual 35 mm tissue culture plates at a final density of 7500 cellsper dish. Cultures were placed in a tissue culture incubator set at 37°C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The colonies were enumerated and sizedbetween day 14-28.

At the same time, a solution of the methylcellulose-based assay mediawas made by adding the following components in the given order to give a1% final concentration of methylcellulose:

NeuroCult NCFC serum-free medium 1700 μl without cytokines (StemCellTechnologies) NeuroCult ™ Proliferation Supplements  330 μl (StemCellTechnolgies) Epidermal Growth Factor (10 μg/ml)   6.6 μl Cells (6.51 ×10⁵ cells/ml)  25 μl Methycellulose (StemCell Technologies) 1300 μlTotal Volume 3361 μl

The resulting solution was mixed well to evenly distribute the cellsthroughout the medium. 1.5 ml of the suspension was plated using ablunt-ended needle into individual 35 mm tissue culture plates at afinal density of 7500 cells per dish. Cultures were placed in a tissueculture incubator set at 37° C., 100% humidity and 5% CO₂. The colonieswere enumerated and number between day 14-28. FIG. 29 shows 3 individualcolonies less than 0.5 mm in diameter, which were generated by E14striatal mouse cells.

While the present invention has been described with reference to whatare presently considered to be the preferred examples, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed examples.To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

All publications, patents and patent applications are hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as ifeach individual publication, patent or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by referencein its entirety.

TABLE 1 The relative frequency of colonies within each of the four sizecategories in NCFC Assay. NCFC frequency (%) Colony Size mean ± SD >2 mm0.09 ± 0.03 1-2 mm 0.11 ± 0.04 0.5-1 mm 0.12 ± 0.11 <0.5 mm 0.38 ± 0.21Total colonies (range) 0.52-1.1 

Single cell suspensions from primary embryonic mouse striata were platedat a low density in serum-free semi-solid media containing EGF.Clonally-derived colonies were assigned to four size categories after 21days in culture. The NCFC frequency (%) relative to total number ofcells plated was calculated by NCFC frequency (%)=(number ofcolonies/total cells plated)×100. Between 0.52-1.1% of the total cellsplated proliferated to varying degrees and formed colonies. A very smallfraction (0.09%) of the total cells plated formed large (>2 mm)colonies. The majority of the colonies formed were <1 mm (0.5%)suggesting a more limited proliferative potential.

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1. A method for identifying neural stem cells or neural progenitor cellscomprising: (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium whichsupports the growth of neural cells; (b) plating the cells in thesemi-solid medium at a cell density that allows for the production ofcolonies; (c) culturing the plated cells until size differences can bediscerned between the colonies; and (d) estimating colony size whereinthe larger colonies are likely produced by neural stem cells and whereinthe smaller colonies are likely produced by neural progenitor cells. 2.A method for identifying neural stem cells or neural progenitor cellscomprising: (a) suspending neural cells in a semi-solid medium whichsupports the growth of neural cells; (b) plating the cells in thesemi-solid medium at a density that allows for the production ofcolonies; (c) culturing the plated cells until colonies are formed; and(d) determining the morphology of the colonies wherein the presence ofundulated colonies indicates that the colonies are likely produced byneural stem cells and wherein the presence of colonies with a smoothperiphery indicates that the colonies are likely produced by neuralprogenitor cells.
 3. A method for identifying neural stem cells orneural progenitor cells comprising: (a) suspending neural cells in asemi-solid medium which supports the growth of neural cells; (b) platingthe cells in the semi-solid medium at a density that allows for theproduction of colonies; (c) culturing the plated cells until coloniesare formed; and (d) determining the antigen expression of the colonieswherein the presence of markers associated with undifferentiated cellsindicates that the colonies are likely produced by neural stem cells andwherein the presence of markers associated with differentiated cellsindicates that the colonies are likely produced by neural progenitorcells.
 4. A method according claim 1 wherein the neural cells aremammalian.
 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the neural cells arefrom human, rat or mouse.
 6. A method according to claim 1 wherein theneural cells are from primary CNS tissue or cultured neurospheres.
 7. Amethod according to claim 1 wherein neural stem cells with highproliferative potential are discriminated from NSC with lowproliferative potential.
 8. A method according to claim 1 wherein thesemi-solid medium is collagen based.
 9. A method according to claim 1wherein the semi-solid medium is methylcellulose based.
 10. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the neural cells are diluted in a culturemedium prior to step (a).
 11. A method according to claim 10 wherein acytokine which promotes the growth of specific types of neural stemcells and neural progenitor cells is added to the medium.
 12. A methodaccording to claim 10 wherein a hormone which promotes the growth ofspecific types of neural stem cells and neural progenitor cells is addedto the medium.
 13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the culturemedium is serum free.
 14. A method according to clam 1 wherein the cellsare plated in step (b) at a density of about 1000 to 25,000 cells per 35mm culture dish.
 15. A method according to clam 1 wherein the cells arecultured in step (c) for about 10 to about 28 days.
 16. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein in step (d) a colony size of greater than2.0 mm indicates neural stem cells.
 17. A method according to claim 1wherein in step (d) a colony size of less than or equal to 2.0 mmindicates neural progenitor cells.
 18. A method according to claim 3wherein the antigen expression of the colonies is determined using an insitu immunostaining protocol.
 19. A method according to claim 3 whereinthe antigen expression of the colonies is determined using animmunostaining protocol of plucked or excised neural stem or progenitorcell colonies.
 20. A method according to claim 18 wherein theimmunostaining uses an antibody directed against undifferentiated cells.21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the antibody binds nestin,sox1, sox2, musashi or LexA/SSEA-1.
 22. A method according to claim 18wherein the immunostaining uses an antibody directed against cellmarkers specific to neural cell lineages.
 23. A method according toclaim 22 wherein the antibody binds to Beta-Tubulin, glial fibrillaryacidic protein (GFAP), O4 or myelin basic protein (MBP).
 24. A use of anassay according to claim 1 for testing potential therapeuticcompositions.
 25. A use of an assay according to claim 1 for diagnosticpurposes.
 26. A use of an assay according to claim 1 to assess theeffects of agents in the environment.
 27. A use of an assay according toclaim 2 for testing potential therapeutic compositions.
 28. A use of anassay according to claim 2 for diagnostic purposes.
 29. A use of anassay according to claim 2 to assess the effects of agents in theenvironment.
 30. A use of an assay according to claim 3 for testingpotential therapeutic compositions.
 31. A use of an assay according toclaim 3 for diagnostic purposes.
 32. A use of an assay according toclaim 3 to assess the effects of agents in the environment.